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RETURNING TO THE RIVER | Provisional Dates: Friday 17 July - Monday 27 July 2025 | Route: Near the Source / Forest Row to Rochester
After last year’s journey along the River Medway, meandering from her source to the sea, we are returning to walk with her once more. And, we will not just be walking beside her, we will be walking for her.
Long regarded as a path to spiritual renewal, Friends of the River Medway reimagine pilgrimage as both a journey of inner transformation and outward change, harnessing its transformative power to inspire healing for the very landscapes we wander through. Through creating space to listen - deeply and attentively - we wish to further connect to the waters, to one another, and to explore new pathways towards the river's healing.
Guided by our three streams - Practical, Legal, and Sacred - we will plant new seeds for change as we travel. Activities include: litter picks; citizen science; educational workshops; dialogues with those who shape - and are shaped by - the river; advocating for the Rights of the River Medway; hosting conversations with councillors about how these rights may be observed; visiting ancient sites; ceremonies to honour and give thanks; co-creating art inspired by the Medway as our Muse; and celebrations of the river and her many gifts. Together, these three streams can inspire ripples of regeneration; ripples that will outlive the journey itself.
“The time has come to set out for sacred ground […] that will stir our sense of wonder.”
- Phil Cousineau, The Art of Pilgrimage
In times that can feel heavy with despair, we choose to walk in hope. Together, we will create a space for transformation - rediscovering the magic and wonder that emerge when we walk side by side, as bodies of water in service to a greater body of water.
If you feel called to join us, please register here
RETURNING TO THE RIVER | Provisional Dates: Friday 17 July - Monday 27 July 2025 | Route: Near the Source / Forest Row to Rochester
After last year’s journey along the River Medway, meandering from her source to the sea, we are returning to walk with her once more. And, we will not just be walking beside her, we will be walking for her.
Long regarded as a path to spiritual renewal, Friends of the River Medway reimagine pilgrimage as both a journey of inner transformation and outward change, harnessing its transformative power to inspire healing for the very landscapes we wander through. Through creating space to listen - deeply and attentively - we wish to further connect to the waters, to one another, and to explore new pathways towards the river's healing.
Guided by our three streams - Practical, Legal, and Sacred - we will plant new seeds for change as we travel. Activities include: litter picks; citizen science; educational workshops; dialogues with those who shape - and are shaped by - the river; advocating for the Rights of the River Medway; hosting conversations with councillors about how these rights may be observed; visiting ancient sites; ceremonies to honour and give thanks; co-creating art inspired by the Medway as our Muse; and celebrations of the river and her many gifts. Together, these three streams can inspire ripples of regeneration; ripples that will outlive the journey itself.
“The time has come to set out for sacred ground […] that will stir our sense of wonder.”
- Phil Cousineau, The Art of Pilgrimage
In times that can feel heavy with despair, we choose to walk in hope. Together, we will create a space for transformation - rediscovering the magic and wonder that emerge when we walk side by side, as bodies of water in service to a greater body of water.
If you feel called to join us, please register here